Lawn mower only as safe as the person operating it

June 14, 2006|CARYN GRANT Tribune Staff Writer

Dr. Stacey Leva, director of the Saint Joseph Urgent Care Center, recalls a patient during her residency who had burned off all the hair on his face and some off the top of his head. The cause? Refueling a lawn mower that was not completely cooled down. The University of Michigan Health System says 75,000 Americans are seriously injured in lawn mower accidents each year; 10,000 of those involve children. "The power lawn mower is one of the most dangerous tools around the home, but many children view it as a potential toy -- resulting in thousands of debilitating injuries every year," said Dr. L. Scott Levin, president of the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery. "Most of these injuries can be prevented by following a few simple safety tips." ASRM, along with several other national medical societies, suggests that children should be at least 12 years old before they operate any lawn mower, and at least 16 years old for a ride-on mower. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns against allowing children to be passengers on ride-on mowers. They may fall off and be seriously injured or interfere with safe mower operation. Leva, who recently purchased a new lawn mower for herself, says it came with an instructional DVD. "A lot of lawn mower companies provide safety videos and booklets," she said. "People just don't like to watch and read them because it's not exactly good summertime reading, but it's worth your time to read through it so you can operate the machinery appropriately." Memorial Hospital reports treating fewer than a dozen lawn mower injuries each year. Emergency room doctors at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center say that in recent years, they've seen fewer than 10, and none of them involved children. That contrasts with Indiana State Department of Health statistics which show that 37 percent of all lawn mower-related injuries in Indiana serious enough to require hospitalization in 2003 involved children younger than 16. "I've seen kids that have done things like touch a portion of the mower than wasn't cooled yet," Leva said. "But I also see adults that have done things that are not recommended." "They seem to not wear appropriate clothing when mowing the lawn," she explained. "People wear shorts and sandals or are barefoot when it's recommended to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes and socks." "Lawn mower injuries often include deep cuts, loss of fingers and toes, limb amputations, broken and dislocated bones, burns and eye injuries," ASRM's Levin said. These injuries can often be life-altering but are not the worst effects of lawn mower accidents. Data from the CPSC shows that 95 deaths attributed to ride-on mowers and three deaths attributed to walk-behind mowers were reported annually between 2001 and 2003. Throughout the years, many safety standards have been put in place by the CPSC to help prevent accidents. Most recently, the "No Mow in Reverse" device was added to ride-on mowers. When the mower is put in reverse, the power to the blades is cut, CPSC's Patty Davis said. The operator can then choose to override the switch, but it forces mowers to think about what they are doing before backing up. However, many people alter their lawn mowers in order to make mowing jobs quicker, in turn, making the machine unsafe, said Dan Coussens, the owner of Michiana Lawn Equipment. "They want to disconnect safety switches, tie down the clutch (which must be held for the mower to work) and remove guards," he said. "Most of the products are really safe. ... But the product is only as safe as the operator."